Rome - Via Veneto area

This beautiful avenue was rendered famous in 1960 by a film called "La
Dolce Vita" by Federico Fellini. It is worth a visit more than anything for
the relatively attractive chic bars, upper class hotels and a handful of shops.
The American embassy is also on this street.

In ancient Roman times this part of town was dedicated to exclusive
aristocratic villas and their sumptuous gardens. The most famous of these
gardens was called the Horti Sallustiani, part of which was uncovered under
Piazza Sallustio square. The entire area was abandoned after the fall of Rome in
the fifth century until the Barberini family built their villa there in the 17th
Century. As well as the paintings collection the villa is remarkable for the
beautiful frescoes by Pietro da Cortona. There was another villa called Villa
Ludovisi which has long since been demolished as a consequence of expropriations
and exorbitant taxes.

Towards the bottom of the street there's a little surprise for lovers of
Gothic and Noire: the Capuchin monks have a church (Santa Maria della Concezione)
on the left hand side of the road with an annexed cemetery/crypt. The crypt
contains some four or five chambers full of polished (human) bones carefully
laid out into artistic shapes, mounds of skulls and chandeliers. The odd
skeleton in monk's habit holds a bible and stares blankly at the visitors. The
decorative sense is striking to say the least. A sign at the end of the corridor
says something along the lines of "What we once were you now are, what we
are now you will become."

The piazza Barberini at the bottom of Via Veneto used to be extremely
beautiful. In our opinion its only remarkable feature is the "Fontana del
Tritone" fountain, sculpted by the highly accomplished Bernini. Remaining
on the subject of Bernini, it is worth visiting the church Santa Maria della
Vittoria to see its altar. Bernini designed this as a theatre complete with side
boxes for the audience (congregation). Centre stage is devoted to Saint Teresa
in ecstasy. It is highly acclaimed and striking: the Saint's ecstasy is very
realistic in appearance as she is repeatedly struck by an arrow (Freud might
have something to add) by an angel whose expression is loving or malevolent
depending on the spectator's angle of view.